Saudis Deny Report They Will Allow Israeli Planes Over Country

Saudi Arabia on Saturday denied a report in the London Times that it had given Israel “clear skies” to attack Iran. According to the report, Saudi Arabia was testing its radar and defense equipment in order to partially disable defenses, in order to allow Israeli planes to fly over Saudi airspace in the event of an attack against Iranian nuclear facilities.
The report quotes a U.S. security official as saying that 'The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way.'


The report quotes a U.S. security official as saying that "The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way. They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren't scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department." It further quoted sources in the Saudi government as saying that officials in the country “all know” about the plan, and that they “will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing.”

Riyadh denied the report later Saturday, saying it was “slanderous. Saudi Arabia rejects violating its sovereignty or the use of its airspace or territories by anyone to attack any country,” an official said in a statement.

Analysts have long said that Saudi Arabia and other conservative governments in the Middle East were not opposed – and in fact were in favor – of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, since they fear a nuclear weapon in the hands of a radical Islamist Shi'ite regime that would likely foment Islamist rebellions in their own countries, bringing down their regimes